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Stress
What are the signs of stress?
Get to understand your dog.
Lip licking is a sign of stress in dogs.
When a dog licks their lips without food present, it often indicates they are feeling anxious, stressed, or uncomfortable. It is their way of trying to calm themselves and de-escalate a situation.
Yawning
It is an act used to cope with stress, anxiety, or internal conflict. When a dog yawns in an uncomfortable situation, they are trying to self-soothe and signal to others that they feel uneasy.
Excessive Licking
When a dog licks themselves excessively, it's often a symptom of stress. It’s a self-soothing behavior they use to calm down when they feel anxious or overwhelmed.
Airplane Ear
"Airplane ears" refers to when a dog flattens their ears back and out to the sides. While it can sometimes mean friendliness, it is frequently a sign of stress, anxiety, or submission.
Avoiding Eye Contact
Sometimes when you are getting too close to your dog, do you find that they don't want to have eye contact with you? That's a sign of them being stressed because they don't know what you want to do next.
What causes stress?
1. Sudden Change in Daily Schedule
Sudden changes in daily routines—such as walking times, feeding schedules, or even interaction time with their owner—can make dogs feel anxious.
2. Sudden Visit from stranger
Unexpected visits from friends or family members can put a dog on high alert, increasing their psychological stress. If a family member is meeting the dog for the first time, it is best to arrange a short and brief interaction.
3. Social interaction with dogs
Not all dogs are suited for social interaction with other dogs. Forcing a dog to meet new furry friends can be a source of immense stress for some.
4. Stressed Owner
Dogs are highly observant and can detect hormonal changes in humans. An owner under immense stress may unknowingly pass that stress on to their dog.
5. Long walk but no sniffing
Many owners think a long walk is enough, but the truth is, sniffing is even more important than walking. For dogs, sniffing is like browsing social media for humans—it’s a great way to decompress and relieve stress.
6. Not enough interaction
Many people think that simply staying home with their dog is enough. But if you're just watching Netflix or playing video games without actually interacting with your dog, it can still cause them stress. Your dog might even think they did something wrong and are being ignored.
Solutions to a less stressed life
Only happiness no stress
1. "Pee-Mail" Smelling
Let your dog sniff the pee-mail left by other dogs. Don't pull them alway!
When a dog sniffs a scent from other dogs, their brain works hard to process the information about the other dog's gender, health, age and emotion.
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It's like us scrolling through social media!
2. Scent from nature
Bring the scents of nature to them, including soil, fallen leaves, and the smells of other animal.
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Never forget they are part of the nature!
3. Snack hide-and-seek
Hiding treats inside puzzle toys for your dog to find can increase their sniffing time and build confidence through the search. Confidence is crucial for dogs, as it gives them the courage to overcome their fear of the unknown.
4. Let them shred things occasionally.
Engaging in natural shredding behavior helps dogs decompress, as it can lead to a significant drop in cortisol levels.
5. Play some white noise when they are alone
A completely silent environment can make dogs/cats easily startled by sudden noises. Playing some white noise can help desensitize them to environmental sounds.
6. Dog Acupressure Massage
Applying gentle pressure to specific acupressure points can improve a dog's circulation. And the interaction and connection can make them feel relaxed.
How is stress harming your dog?
Dermatological Issues
When dogs being stressful, they tend to over-scratching, licking or biting their own fur and skin.
These behaviors can lead to dermetitis.
Immune Suppression
Persistently high cortisol levels inhibit the immune system, making the dog significantly more vulnerable to viruses, bacterial infections, and inflammation.
Heart / Thyroid Diseases
Stress can aggravate underlying issues like heart disease, diabetes, or endocrine imbalances (such as thyroid disorders), which can significantly shorten a dog's lifespan if left unmanaged.
